💭 Consider this: Have you ever set limits on your love, thinking, “I’ve done enough”? If loving fellow believers does not come naturally to you, what might that reveal about your spiritual condition? How can you grow in loving "more and more" as Paul exhorts?
RefQuests
Have you ever set limits on your love, thinking, “I’ve done enough”? If loving fellow believers does not come naturally to you, what might that reveal about your spiritual condition? How can you grow in loving "more and more" as Paul exhorts?
- If love is the greatest testimony of our faith, what kind of testimony are you currently giving?
- What excuses have you made for not loving or serving others more? How does this sermon challenge those excuses?
- Jesus loved us when we were unworthy and undeserving. Who in your life do you struggle to love because you feel they don’t deserve it? What would it mean to love them as Jesus loved you?
- Are there unresolved conflicts in your life that are preventing you from fully demonstrating brotherly love? What steps can you take toward reconciliation?
- Have you ever set limits on your love, thinking, “I’ve done enough”? What would it look like for you to love “more and more” as Paul exhorts?
- Jesus commands us to love one another as He has loved us. Since Jesus laid down His life for us, what sacrifices are you willing to make for others in obedience to this command?
- Paul said that love among believers is natural. If love for fellow Christians does not come naturally to you, what might that indicate about your spiritual condition?
- Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to increase in their love, even though they were already practicing it. In what areas of your life do you need to grow in love? How can you take practical steps to do so?
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So if you do not love your brother and sister in Christ, what is your condition? You are abiding in death.
If there is no love, then it must begin with you.
YT Description
📣 Can you say you’ve loved like Jesus did? 🤔
The Bible says that love is the defining mark of a true disciple of Christ. But is love just a feeling, or does it require something deeper?
In 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, Paul reminds believers that brotherly love is natural—it flows from our new life in Christ. If we are truly born of God, love for our spiritual family should be as natural as a parent's love for their child. But while love is natural, it also needs to be encouraged. True Christian love is also not just words; it is action. It is a love that sacrifices, a love that meets the needs of others, a love that reflects Christ Himself. Do you have this kind of love? Are you growing in it?
Many of us think we’ve loved to the limit—but if we haven’t loved like Jesus did, then we’re not there yet. The love we are called to isn’t just phileo (brotherly love); it is agape—a love that is selfless, sacrificial, and modelled after Christ Himself.
Watch this sermon and reflect: Have I truly loved like Jesus did?
📄 Follow along with this sermon's transcript: https://www.bethelbpc.com.au/sermon-database/the-importance-of-brotherly-love
📍 Sermon Outline 00:00 Trailer 01:32 Introduction 04:59 I. IT IS A LOVE THAT IS NATURAL 07:32 A love we do not need to be taught—familial love 09:52 The love by which we’ve been bought—God’s love 12:12 II. IT IS A LOVE THAT NEEDS TO BE ENCOURAGED 15:00 Do you think you’ve “loved enough”? Well, have you loved like Jesus did? 17:34 We must love like Christ! 22:11 It’s through the hard times that our love for one another will grow 26:10 III. IT IS A LOVE THAT IS ACTIVELY DEMONSTRATED 28:05 Do you care about your brethren, or are you just nosy? 31:03 If you can work, you must work! 35:58 Have you used your spiritual gifts in this work? 39:21 The purpose 41:32 Conclusion 45:59 Reflection Questions
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